We're Scouting Savannah

We’re Scouting Savannah A Front Porch Travelogue Page 1 Introduction For those not familiar with the Front Porch Travelers, let me take a moment to introduce you. They are six senior citizens who have become very real over the past many years that they’ve been presenting the travelogue for Activity Connection. Couples Nell and Truman McGiver and Bert and Ethel Davis join sisters Mabel and Maude Gunderson in their virtual adventures around the world. Click here to learn more about the Front Porch Travelers. Page 2 Bert, born and raised in Mississippi, and Ethel, born in Alabama, are feeling the need for some good old southern hospitality. They, along with the rest of the Front Porch Travelers, are headed to the beautiful city of Savannah, also known as the Hostess City of the South. There they will receive a warm welcome while enjoying stunning architecture, scenic splendor, and delicious food, all of which is sure to please. So, let’s pack our bags and join them as they hop aboard that midnight train to Georgia! Page 3 Truman’s History Lesson Georgia, a state located in the southeastern U.S., is considered part of the Deep South, along with Alabama, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Louisiana. In pre-Civil War times, these states relied on plantation-style farming to grow cotton as their primary cash crop. Because of this, they were known as “the cotton states.” Page 4 In 1733, the British ship Anne, carrying a group of settlers led by British soldier and philanthropist General James Oglethorpe, sailed into Yamacraw Bluff, situated on the southern bank of the Savannah River. There they were greeted by Tomochichi, the head chief of the Yamacraw tribe, and Indigenous traders Mary and John Musgrove, who often served as interpreters. Page 5 On February 12, 1733, the city of Savannah was founded along with the colony of Georgia. In 1751, Georgia was made a Royal Colony, and Savannah was named its colonial capital. By the time the American Revolutionary War broke out in 1775, Savannah was the southernmost commercial port of the 13 colonies. British troops took over the city in 1778 and did not leave until July 1782. Page 6 At the time of the Civil War, Savannah was the sixth most populous city of the Confederacy and the prime objective of Union General William T. Sherman’s 1864 March to the Sea. His goal was to frighten the citizens of Georgia into abandoning the Confederate cause. When he reached Savannah, local authorities negotiated a peaceful surrender to save their city from destruction. Page 7 Sherman sent a telegram to President Lincoln presenting the city to him as a Christmas gift. General Sherman would spend a month in the city, taking the time to enjoy its hospitality and to meet with local Black leaders. It is where he came up with his “40 acres and a mule” policy for freed enslaved people that was rolled out at the end of the war. Page 8 Here are some additional facts about Savannah. • Savannah was the largest and oldest city in Georgia and the first planned city in the United States. • The Oglethorpe Plan was developed by General James Oglethorpe prior to his arrival in 1733. The plan, both detailed and extensive, was based on a grid of wide streets interspersed with public squares and parks. Of the original 24 public squares, 22 have been preserved and remain open today. Page 9 Oglethorpe was a man ahead of his time. He was a champion of prison reform and offered a house and 50 acres on which to farm to anyone coming to his colony. He befriended the Indigenous people of the Yamacraw tribe and their chief, Tomachichi, who is buried in Oglethorpe Square Page 10 Savannah was once the largest port where enslaved people were brought in the south. River Street, located along the historic waterfront, was where the ships coming from West Africa with their human cargo aboard docked. Today, it is a place far different than its troubling history where people can walk, eat, shop, and appreciate the sights. Page 11 On March 2 and 3, 1859, the largest auction of enslaved people reported in American history occurred at a Savannah racetrack. Known as “The Weeping Time,” 436 men, women, and children held by Pierce M. Butler of Butler Island Plantation were sold to pay the debts incurred by his gambling. During the two days of the sale, torrential rains fell. Page 12 In 1820, a yellow fever epidemic wiped out a large portion of Savannah’s white population. The enslaved population was immune, as the disease was caused by a specific kind of West African mosquito brought to Savannah via ships. In all, there were three major yellow fever epidemics. Page 13 In 1915, insects known as boll weevils arrived in Georgia. Entering the U.S. from Mexico, they were first spotted in Texas and gradually spread throughout all the major cotton-producing areas of the country. They quickly went to work decimating the cotton industry. In Georgia, they reduced cotton acreage from a high of 5.2 million acres in 1914 to a low of 2.6 million in 1923. It wasn’t until the early 1990s that this destructive pest was finally eliminated. Page 14 Discussion Starters • When Union troops arrived in Savannah, the mayor surrendered to them without resistance in exchange for a promise to protect the citizens and their property. Do you think that was a wise decision? What might you have done in his place? • If you, like General Oglethorpe, had the opportunity to plan a city, what are some features you would include? Page 15 Bert’s Trivia Facts It’s good to be back home in the South where the pace is a little slower, where people are courteous and respectful, where the food is to die for, and where hot, humid summers seem to last forever. Here is some trivia I learned: Page 16 The Gullah Geechee people are descendants of African enslaved people brought to isolated coastal plantations in Georgia, the Carolinas, and Florida to work on rice plantations. Because they were so isolated from inland communities, they were able to maintain much of their culture and traditions. They developed their own unique Creole language known as Gullah that is spoken nowhere else in the world. Page 17 The First African Baptist Church, located on Montgomery Street in Savannah, was the first Black church in the country and is the oldest in North America. It served as a stop on the Underground Railroad, and the holes in the floorboards that ventilated concealed spaces underneath are still there to see. Page 18 American novelist Flannery O’Connor grew up in Savannah, and her home at 207 East Charlton Street still stands today. Renowned for her short stories, O’Connor said the high point of her life was when she was six and filmed on the news with her pet chicken she had taught to walk backward. Page 19 Savannah is known for the Spanish moss hanging from its trees. Did you know that it is not actually moss nor does it originate from Spain? Rather it’s an epiphyte plant, which is one that is not parasitic but grows on other plants or objects for physical support only. It feeds on water and nutrients from the air. It is native to Mexico, Central America, South America, the U.S., and the Caribbean. The Spanish called it “French hair,” and the French called it “Spanish beard.” The French name stuck, and today it is most commonly called Spanish moss. Page 20 Parts of the movie Forrest Gump were filmed in downtown Savannah, including the part where he is sitting on a bus stop bench in Chippewa Square declaring that “Life is like a box of chocolates.” Page 21 Savannah holds one of the largest St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the country in honor of its first settlers, who were predominantly Irish. Page 22 Savannah is home to one of the oldest Jewish congregations in America. The Congregation Mickve Israel, established in 1773, was the first synagogue to be built in Georgia. It houses the oldest Torah in North America. Page 23 Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin in 1793 while a guest at Mulberry Grove, a plantation in Savannah. He was there at the invitation of Catherine Greene, the widow of Nathanael Greene, distinguished general in the American Revolutionary War. Over dinners attended by neighboring plantation owners, he learned of the difficulties in efficiently cleaning cotton. Within six months, he had invented the cotton gin, which revolutionized the cotton industry and the economy of the south. Page 24 Savannah has some of the prettiest doors in the U.S., especially in the historic and Victorian districts of Savannah. They come in different shapes, sizes, and colors. Page 25 In 1955, seven Savannah ladies founded the Historic Savannah Foundation to help save historical buildings after the government made a mandate to tear down all old, ageing buildings and replace them with modern square boxes. Luckily, the foundation has saved more than 350 buildings over the years, and their work is not done yet. Page 26 Here’s a translation of some expressions you may hear during your visit: • Hold your horses. – You need to slow down. • Till the cows come home – In other words, never • Y’all and All y’all – Meaning a group of people • It doesn’t amount to a hill of beans. – It’s not worth much. • I’m fixin’ to do it.

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